Structures and Protein Engineering of the α-Keto Acid C-Methyltransferases SgvM and MrsA for Rational Substrate Transfer.

S-adenosyl-l-methionine-dependent methyltransferases (MTs) are involved in the C-methylation of a variety of natural products. The MTs SgvM from Streptomyces griseoviridis and MrsA from Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae catalyze the methylation of the β-carbon atom of α-keto acids in the biosynthesis of the antibiotic natural products viridogrisein and 3-methylarginine, respectively.

Asymmetric C-Alkylation by the S-Adenosylmethionine-Dependent Methyltransferase SgvM.

S-Adenosylmethionine-dependent methyltransferases (MTs) play a decisive role in the biosynthesis of natural products and in epigenetic processes. MTs catalyze the methylation of heteroatoms and even of carbon atoms, which, in many cases, is a challenging reaction in conventional synthesis. However, C-MTs are often highly substrate-specific.